Quissico & Chidenguele

Most motorists just bypass Quissico, a ‘one-street town’ with a colourful market; but by bothering to go just 800m (1?2 mile) off the main road to Quissico’s administration building at the end of a tree-lined avenue, you will reach one of the best viewsites in Mozambique. Azure-blue Lake Quissico (200m; 660ft) below, with its palm-fringed white beaches, stretches to the horizon from left to right. The darker shade of blue straight out in front, across high forested dunes, is the Indian Ocean.

Lagoa Inhampavala and Praia do Chidenguele

Not visible from Chidenguele village, just off the EN1, this isolated stretch of inland water is surrounded by thickly wooded dunes. The beach (Praia do Chidenguele) lies only a short drive across. Herons, cormorants, flamingos and kingfishers inhabit the reed-fringed shores. Although the lake’s water is pleasant for swimming, its high salt content makes it unpalatable for drinking. Sweet water can be collected from a spring close to where the road crosses the southern end of the lake.